Five Essentials to Consider Before Your Big Pinterest Debut

Before you throw your brand out on Pinterest, it is going to be important to have a nice plan in place. Making a Pinterest page and then saying “now what?” is not a question you should be asking yourself (and won’t get you brownie points with the boss either). Think about how much preparation time it took you to administer a plan of action for the new Facebook fan page redesign. Well, Pinterest should be thought of just as seriously because it is already changing the online social mix and some marketing programs entirely.

Here are five essentials to consider before your company’s big debut on Pinterest:

Start with a Goal. What is the implementation goal? What can Pinterest provide the brand that is not offered elsewhere across the Web? How will you be utilizing Pinterest to better your brand?

Know your audience/voice/tone. Who are you trying to reach? You can determine this by looking at the demographics and psychographics for your brand. And from there, what will be the personality you intend to portray? If you understand your audience, then the voice/tone you have should come naturally. However, you should still be careful when determining if you want to be funny, serious, friendly, informative, etc.

Gather an editorial team. Who will participate in decision making for the platform and brainstorm board and pin topics? How often will the Editorial Team meet? Who will find, produce, recommend pins, and follow users?

Have a content strategy. Are you going to have a maximum number of boards or pins? Additionally, timing and frequency must also be determined when pinning and creating boards. In that case, a pinning calendar might be a great way to take care of the schedule.

Require a response plan. Pinterest pages must be monitored. What will you do if a user comments on a pin? How will you react if there is a negative response to a pin or board?

If you are still wary of getting the Pinterest ball rolling for your company, make a personal account. This way you can get comfortable with the functionalities and understand the user-presence currently occupying Pinterest. Once you’ve done that – start planning for your company’s big debut!